Cost of Living Comparison Between United States and New Zealand

For major cities in those countries you get more relevant data by specifying cities.

City in United States:
City in New Zealand:

Indices Difference
Cost of Living in New Zealand is 10.3% lower than in United States (excluding rent)
Cost of Living Including Rent in New Zealand is 19.5% lower than in United States
Rent Prices in New Zealand are 38.1% lower than in United States
Restaurant Prices in New Zealand are 16.6% lower than in United States
Groceries Prices in New Zealand are 9.9% lower than in United States
Local Purchasing Power in New Zealand is 13.9% lower than in United States

Currency: Sticky Currency Switch to metric measurement units

Restaurants	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit	Difference
Meal, Inexpensive Restaurant	20.00 $ (33.75 NZ$)	14.82 $ (25.00 NZ$)	-25.9 %
Meal for 2 People, Mid-range Restaurant, Three-course	75.00 $ (126.55 NZ$)	74.08 $ (125.00 NZ$)	-1.2 %
McMeal at McDonalds (or Equivalent Combo Meal)	11.50 $ (19.40 NZ$)	9.17 $ (15.47 NZ$)	-20.2 %
Domestic Beer (1 pint draught)	6.00 $ (10.12 NZ$)	6.52 $ (11.00 NZ$)	+8.7 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	7.00 $ (11.81 NZ$)	6.52 $ (11.00 NZ$)	-6.9 %
Cappuccino (regular)	5.24 $ (8.83 NZ$)	3.38 $ (5.70 NZ$)	-35.4 %
Coke/Pepsi (12 oz small bottle)	2.56 $ (4.32 NZ$)	2.24 $ (3.77 NZ$)	-12.7 %
Water (12 oz small bottle)	2.09 $ (3.53 NZ$)	2.10 $ (3.54 NZ$)	+0.5 %
Markets	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Milk (regular), (1 gallon)	4.00 $ (6.76 NZ$)	6.70 $ (11.31 NZ$)	+67.4 %
Loaf of Fresh White Bread (1 lb)	3.29 $ (5.56 NZ$)	1.74 $ (2.94 NZ$)	-47.1 %
Rice (white), (1 lb)	2.09 $ (3.53 NZ$)	0.83 $ (1.40 NZ$)	-60.4 %
Eggs (regular) (12)	4.27 $ (7.20 NZ$)	6.38 $ (10.77 NZ$)	+49.6 %
Local Cheese (1 lb)	5.86 $ (9.89 NZ$)	3.70 $ (6.24 NZ$)	-36.9 %
Chicken Fillets (1 lb)	5.53 $ (9.33 NZ$)	4.26 $ (7.18 NZ$)	-23.0 %
Beef Round (1 lb) (or Equivalent Back Leg Red Meat)	7.39 $ (12.47 NZ$)	5.78 $ (9.76 NZ$)	-21.7 %
Apples (1 lb)	2.39 $ (4.04 NZ$)	1.26 $ (2.12 NZ$)	-47.5 %
Banana (1 lb)	0.76 $ (1.29 NZ$)	1.01 $ (1.71 NZ$)	+33.1 %
Oranges (1 lb)	2.04 $ (3.44 NZ$)	1.37 $ (2.32 NZ$)	-32.7 %
Tomato (1 lb)	2.22 $ (3.75 NZ$)	2.10 $ (3.54 NZ$)	-5.7 %
Potato (1 lb)	1.33 $ (2.25 NZ$)	0.93 $ (1.56 NZ$)	-30.4 %
Onion (1 lb)	1.39 $ (2.35 NZ$)	0.78 $ (1.31 NZ$)	-44.1 %
Lettuce (1 head)	2.20 $ (3.71 NZ$)	2.32 $ (3.92 NZ$)	+5.7 %
Water (1.5 liter bottle)	2.23 $ (3.76 NZ$)	1.14 $ (1.92 NZ$)	-48.9 %
Bottle of Wine (Mid-Range)	15.00 $ (25.31 NZ$)	9.48 $ (16.00 NZ$)	-36.8 %
Domestic Beer (0.5 liter bottle)	1.95 $ (3.30 NZ$)	2.97 $ (5.01 NZ$)	+51.9 %
Imported Beer (12 oz small bottle)	3.59 $ (6.06 NZ$)	3.53 $ (5.95 NZ$)	-1.8 %
Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro)	10.00 $ (16.87 NZ$)	23.71 $ (40.00 NZ$)	+137.1 %
Transportation	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
One-way Ticket (Local Transport)	2.50 $ (4.22 NZ$)	2.37 $ (4.00 NZ$)	-5.2 %
Monthly Pass (Regular Price)	65.00 $ (109.67 NZ$)	104.46 $ (176.25 NZ$)	+60.7 %
Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)	3.75 $ (6.33 NZ$)	2.37 $ (4.00 NZ$)	-36.8 %
Taxi 1 mile (Normal Tariff)	2.80 $ (4.72 NZ$)	3.34 $ (5.63 NZ$)	+19.2 %
Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)	30.00 $ (50.62 NZ$)	35.56 $ (60.00 NZ$)	+18.5 %
Gasoline (1 gallon)	3.50 $ (5.91 NZ$)	6.29 $ (10.61 NZ$)	+79.5 %
Volkswagen Golf 1.4 90 KW Trendline (Or Equivalent New Car)	30,000.00 $ (50,618.25 NZ$)	27,262.89 $ (46,000.00 NZ$)	-9.1 %
Toyota Corolla Sedan 1.6l 97kW Comfort (Or Equivalent New Car)	25,965.55 $ (43,811.03 NZ$)	21,331.30 $ (35,991.77 NZ$)	-17.8 %
Utilities (Monthly)	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Basic (Electricity, Heating, Cooling, Water, Garbage) for 915 sq ft Apartment	208.74 $ (352.19 NZ$)	135.73 $ (229.02 NZ$)	-35.0 %
Mobile Phone Monthly Plan with Calls and 10GB+ Data	57.26 $ (96.61 NZ$)	34.53 $ (58.25 NZ$)	-39.7 %
Internet (60 Mbps or More, Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL)	71.62 $ (120.84 NZ$)	50.90 $ (85.88 NZ$)	-28.9 %
Sports And Leisure	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult	46.19 $ (77.93 NZ$)	36.38 $ (61.38 NZ$)	-21.2 %
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour on Weekend)	21.93 $ (37.00 NZ$)	14.99 $ (25.29 NZ$)	-31.7 %
Cinema, International Release, 1 Seat	14.27 $ (24.08 NZ$)	11.85 $ (20.00 NZ$)	-16.9 %
Childcare	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Preschool (or Kindergarten), Full Day, Private, Monthly for 1 Child	1,372.36 $ (2,315.55 NZ$)	752.93 $ (1,270.39 NZ$)	-45.1 %
International Primary School, Yearly for 1 Child	22,564.26 $ (38,072.11 NZ$)	11,369.59 $ (19,183.62 NZ$)	-49.6 %
Clothing And Shoes	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)	52.12 $ (87.94 NZ$)	67.18 $ (113.35 NZ$)	+28.9 %
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, H&M, ...)	42.52 $ (71.75 NZ$)	41.90 $ (70.70 NZ$)	-1.5 %
1 Pair of Nike Running Shoes (Mid-Range)	89.82 $ (151.55 NZ$)	95.79 $ (161.62 NZ$)	+6.6 %
1 Pair of Men Leather Business Shoes	113.47 $ (191.46 NZ$)	117.40 $ (198.09 NZ$)	+3.5 %
Rent Per Month	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Centre	1,744.35 $ (2,943.19 NZ$)	1,089.47 $ (1,838.24 NZ$)	-37.5 %
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Centre	1,437.27 $ (2,425.06 NZ$)	910.42 $ (1,536.13 NZ$)	-36.7 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Centre	2,895.26 $ (4,885.11 NZ$)	1,749.44 $ (2,951.78 NZ$)	-39.6 %
Apartment (3 bedrooms) Outside of Centre	2,401.49 $ (4,051.98 NZ$)	1,499.01 $ (2,529.24 NZ$)	-37.6 %
Buy Apartment Price	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment in City Centre	299.55 $ (505.42 NZ$)	462.09 $ (779.67 NZ$)	+54.3 %
Price per Square Feet to Buy Apartment Outside of Centre	251.94 $ (425.09 NZ$)	385.82 $ (650.98 NZ$)	+53.1 %
Salaries And Financing	United States Edit	New Zealand Edit
Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)	4,326.98 $ (7,300.81 NZ$)	2,999.44 $ (5,060.88 NZ$)	-30.7 %
Mortgage Interest Rate in Percentages (%), Yearly, for 20 Years Fixed-Rate	6.51	6.75	+3.7 %
Last update:	May 2025	May 2025
Contributors in the past 12 months:	11016	485

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